Demolition. Vegas Style.

No one blows up a casino like Las Vegas. Yesterday the historic Frontier Hotel Casino went up in an explosion to make room for the bigger and better.

...but you've never seen a demolition like this. Watch the fireworks display on the outer walls during the countdown. WOO HOO! LOVE IT!



New Frontier Demolition! - video powered by Metacafe

Best. Guitar Solo. Ever.

Jimmy Page has long been my favorite guitar player. In my eyes, he is far more tallented than any other guitar player I have ever heard. He has a way of making it sound like 3 or 4 people are playing at once, when in fact it's all him on one guitar. The guy is a genius.

In the following video, you'll see what I deem to be about the best guitar solo ever written. It is beyond phenominal and I can't fathom how he plays like that. The video quality is VERY low but I'm sure you'll be glad you watched it.

Also, be sure to watch the whole thing as he doesn't really get into the awesomeness of it until about 3:40 (three minutes 40 seconds into the video). ENJOY!

Mt. Charleston - The Bad and the Not So Ugly

Today is Nevada Day. As far as I know that just means I get the day off work. Perhaps it's the day Nevada declared it's independance from the government, I'm not sure.

Anyway, my wife and I went up to Mt. Charleston today. We've lived here three years and had never made the drive. Everyone always said how wonderful and beautiful it was and google maps reported that it was only an hour drive. So we went.

We expected to find a nice mountain community with quaint shops and nice parks. Instead, we found about ten log cabins and one nice outdoor restaurant. I wouldn't dare call it a city... or even a township. The road up to Mt. Charleston literally came to a dead end about five minutes after the desert of Las Vegas turned into pine trees.

We had packed a lunch, thinking to have a nice family picnic, and so we went in search of a park, a campground, or anywhere with a table. We came up empty. There was nowhere to park for free. Every day-use recreational area was a minimum $7.00 fee to park. I was appalled. Mt. Charleston was supposed to be the amazing mountain getaway for Las Vegas residents but all we found was a dead end surrounded by somewhat pretty trees.

We spoke to a ranger and asked if there was anywhere on the mountain we could park for 30 minutes, have lunch, and leave. He said "no." And then he went on to suggest we drive down to the visitors where there was free parking... for 30 minutes. We went there but found no tables, no grass. We finally laid out our blanket on some rocks, weeds and twigs under a tree.

After spending a long 10 full minutes on Mt. Charleston we decided to drive back home.


In the end, it was nice to get out of the house and it was nice to see some trees for a change. Mt. Charleston also has a ski-resort which we stopped by on the way home. There were also a number of camp grounds that looked pretty fun to stay at. But truth be told, I don't see myself returning in the near future. It's small, and there's basically nothing to see; though they do seem quick and ready to take your money once you're there.

If you're in vegas and you want a nice free relaxing day, I suggest the library.

The Best Barbershop

Many people are not familiar with barbershop music. You've heard of it, but you might have a pre-conceived notion about a couple of geezers sitting around singing slow, uneventful songs.

Guess again. The Westminster Chorus is this year's international champions. These guys meet only twice a month and have been a chorus for only about 4 years.

This video is PHENOMENAL. Do yourself a favor, see for yourself what barbershop music is all about!

American Idols Live Tour

The other night Megan and I went to see a live concert put on by the top ten American Idols of this past season. It was a great concert. If you did not follow this past season of American Idol then this blog will probably mean nothing to you. Here is the skinny on what went down:

Summary:

Each Idol got to sing at least one solo in the same fashion you’d see on the show. But there were also a large number of duets, trios, and even quartets. As a whole, each performer sang as good as, if not better, than they did on the show. I’m not sure if that was merely because it was live of if they have really improved that much since the season finale.

Here are my awards to them.

Best Quartet/Quintet:

Rising out of the floor on a platform, Lakisha, Melinda, Gina and Haley sang a four-part 16 measure bit of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.” As a choir teacher and vocal coach, I can tell you that it was awesome. When they were done with that, Phil Stacey, dressed to the nines in his Navy getup, sang the most amazing rendition of America the Beautiful. Clear voice and heartfelt, it was one of many treats of the night.

Best Duet(s):

This award was a tie. Jordin Sparks sang a duet with Melinda Jones that was just amazing and then directly afterward she sang a duet with Chris Richardson that blew us away.

Most Entertaining:

Blake Lewis. This guy just knows how to take the stage. At one point he came out on stage and started beat-boxing. And it wasn’t just any old beat-boxing. It was phenomenal! After about a five minute introduction he set into a steady beat-boxing rhythm. Then with a foot pedal below him, he looped about 4 measures of his own beat so he could stop beat-boxing but you could still hear him on the loop. He then added another beat over his original beat and looped it. He then added a bass line of himself singing “doom doom doom” like a bass guitar. With all three looped it sounded awesome as it was. He was like a human mix-machine. Then he started singing the verses to U2s With or Without You. When he got to the chorus, he looped himself singing “with or without you, with or with out you.” He then added a harmony part and looped it. He then added ANOTHER harmony part and looped it. So now you have ONLY Blake on stage but you have two beat-boxers, a bass line singer, and three part harmonies going. Our jaws were already to the floor… and then he went into the chorus climax over the top of it all: “I can’t liiiiiiiive, with or with out you baby!” It was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

Most surprising:

Chris Richardson. I never liked him on the show. He never impressed me as being a very good singer or being very versatile at his craft. But at the live tour he blew us away. He sang great and he is very musically talented. He also gets the most stage time award. He was on stage singing in like every other song for the night. But I think it was with reason. He sang wonderfully, he was entertaining and he knew how to grab the crowd almost as well as Blake did. Aside from that, he sang a few songs while playing the guitar, but even more impressive is when he came out with a drum set and sang while playing that! He truly is a talented singer.

Worst Singer Award:

This goes to Haley. No surprise. She was as terrible (if not worse) than she was on the show.

Most Boring:

Chris Sligh. He seemed sluggish and uninterested as he slopped around the stage all night long.

Most fun:

The Boy Band. All five male Idols (Blake, Chris R, Chris S, Sanjaya and Phil) came out in a band fashion. Phil on keyboard, Blake on guitar, Chris Sligh on Bass guitar, Sanjaya on tambourine and Chris Richardson on drums, they played a couple of songs including the Beatles’ Hey Jude. They were VERY good. If they had debuted in that format and cut CDs as a band that way, I’d buy them.

Best Vocals:

This is a tough one so I’m going to break it up into three categories:

Best Versatile Vocals:

Jordin Sparks. This 17 year old girl did not win the show for no reason. She sang at least one song from every genre in the history of mankind except for Gregorian chant. And she did it WELL. She was incredible in spite of the fact that she was becoming vocally tired by the end of the night (not that I blame her).

Best Male Vocal:

Phil Stacey. Phil was INCREDIBLE! I always liked him on the show but I never felt that he should have won. After seeing him live… I’m starting to question. Phil has a clear and present voice.

He was entertaining and sang beautifully. I can see Phil making it big in the recording business after his tour is done. Just like Chris Daughtry, Phil didn’t win, but he could be big. He sang a number of solos that were just captivating. I would probably buy his CDs when they come out.

Best female and overall vocal of the entire night goes to… drum roll please…

Lakisha Jones! Can you believe it? We couldn’t either. But she came out singing her version of Whitney Houston's “And I have always loved you.” Let me just say that I do not hesitate to say that she sang it BETTER than Whitney. She was unbelievable! Clear voice, nailing the top notes like it was easy, and strutting around like a star. She blew everyone away with a stellar performance. She received a standing ovation that lasted easily longer than any other applause from any other song of the night.

My final thoughts:

Megan and I loved watching American Idol this season. Before this season we thought that American Idol watchers were silly uneducated teeny boppers. We made fun of those that liked Idol and rolled our eyes at people who talked about it. Well we saw the first episode of this past season (our first time ever watching it) and we were hooked. It really is a great show. We fell in love with the singers that we voted for each and every week. Seeing them perform live in concert was a treat and I’m glad we went.

Now we can’t wait for the next season to start!

More Than Meets the Eye

I had the privilege of seeing the premier showing of Transformers last night.

In Short:
It was probably one of the greatest--if not THE greatest--movies I've ever seen.

In Long:
Michael Bay was obviously the right guy for the job. His directing was superb. The lighting, the angles and the performance he was able to pull from the actors was just great.

The story line was intriguing, though not flawless. The special FX were FANTASTIC. I mean BEYOND fantastic. Eventually you forget that you're looking at CGI and you just watch the film for what it is.

I loved how the transformers (especially Starscream) would transform in mid flight and land. Just amazing stuff. The whole move was one HUGE battle after another. Rarely was there a dull spot in the movie. Constant action. Constant amazing cinematography.

The Cheese Factor:
There were a FEW cheesy moments in the movie. Some of the dialogue was a bit over the top and made me groan. And every time Optimus spoke there was this cheesy music that would swell up behind him as if to suggest that every word he spoke was so terribly noble and awe-inspiring.

I won't talk about the few things I didn't like because I don't want to spoil it for you. Just do yourself a favor and GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It truly is: more than meets the eye.

The Saddest Part of Teaching

As a teacher I have seen some of the saddest things. I grew up in a home in which education was considered important and I had parents who actually cared about where I was and what I did. Saddly, this is not the case for MANY of today’s youth.

I teach a guitar class. Half of the students in the class are currently failing. Another third of the class had a D or C. Very few have B’s or A’s.

Now, keep in mind that this is an elective course. There is NO homework and 80% of the points come purely from coming to class and participating (trying on some level). Still, kids just don’t care, and it breaks my heart to see it.

Example 1: I ask “Stephen” to come up and play a 4 measure melody for me that we’ve been working on for 2 straight class periods (3 hours). 4 beats per measure equals about 16 notes the he had 3 hours to learn to play in order. He gets there, stares at the music and has no idea where to start. “I don’t know how to do this,” he says. “Okay, what is the name of this first note?” I ask. “Oh, that one… I can’t remember that one,” he responds. “That was the very first note we ever learned in this class at the beginning of the 1^st semester and we’ve played it unceasingly every day since then,” I explain. “I’ll just take a zero,” he decided.

Sad. Just sad.

Example 2: Every day my students have to do a journal. Basically I put a few questions on the board for them to answer. What is the name of this note? How many beats are in a 4/4 measure, etc. They write down whatever they think are the right answers and then we review them. At the end of the month we turn in all the journals. Note: the student gets FULL credit for turning in the journals at ALL. All the answers could be made up and have nothing to do with the question and they will still get full credit. I have told them this many times. I’ve pleaded with them to understand that right or wrong they get ALL the points for just turning it in.

…you guessed it: only about 1/3 of the class turns them in. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?!? It’s a full 10% of their grade and they CHOOSE not to turn them in.

I have so many students like this (mostly in guitar, my choir students are pretty good). They don’t care about their grades and it stems from their home life. They obviously have parents who aren’t involved in their lives, and THAT’s what saddens me the most. These poor kids don’t have parents who check their grades or explain to them what responsibility is. I wonder if their parents even know they still live in the same house with them.

Now I understand that there are students whose parents do care and they still fail. But when I’m offering a FREE passing grade just for handing me a notebook regardless of what’s in it, and they choose not to do it… it goes to show that they don’t care, and obviously nobody else does either.

Take Responsibility - Stop Saying "you"

Okay, today's post is a rant. Have you ever noticed that people constantly use the pronoun "you" when referring to events that they experienced themselves? Why don't people take responsibility for themselves?

Here are a few examples:

Example #1
When asked: "What was so good about that movie?" a person responds: Well you can really get into it. You sit there watching it and you feel the emotion of the score and then you get all teary eyed and you...

Do you see what I mean? I didn't "really get into it." I didn't sit there and I didn't feel the emotion... YOU did, so say it!

A better response would have been: Well I can really get into it. I sat there watching it and I felt the emotion of the score and then I got all teary eyed and I...

Example #2
When you're in a position like mine, you have to really try hard to do your best. If you don't, then the boss will catch you not doing your job and you'll be fired.

How about you take responsibility for yourself. Try this instead:

When in a position like mine, I have to really try hard to do my best. If I don't, then my boss will catch me not doing my job and I'll be fired.

Example #3
I like to play the guitar because you learn how to read music, and you can play songs from the bands you like and then you might be able to start your own band.

Try this instead:

I like to play the guitar because I learn how to read music, and I can play songs from the bands I like and then I might be able to start my own band.

So take my advice: take responsibility for yourself. Don't say "you," say "I."

Nintendo Wii = The Matrix

So I had a thought the other day. The Nintendo Wii is really cool from what people tell me. As usual, Nintendo is trying to be the first gaming system to take the first step in virtual reality gaming. Now you can go bowling or hunting right from your living room. Who needs to go out when you've got great home theater systems and even tennis courts and fishing ponds right in your own house?

The gaming revolution will only get bigger and better. Soon, we'll have virtual reality glasses to put on and games will be in 3D. Then We'll be able to start smelling and feeling the worlds of our games. When you want to go bowling with friends in another state, you just hook up online in your virtual reality world.

Before you know it, the gaming world will overtake our own. You can live in a mansion in your virtual world. Why not? You can see it, feel it, smell it, design it, etc. And if that house is so much better than your own, why not live there, and add a feeding tube to your arm so you don't die from "playing" your game to long.

You see where this is going, don't you? Before long, we'll be living in the world of the Matrix--with all humans hooked up to virtual reality computers, living out our lives and forgetting about the real world behind us.

...and it's all because of the first pioneer steps of the Nintendo Wii.

Lincoln Vs. Kennedy

Okay this is some of the most incredible stuff you'll ever read. It's seriously erie:

The following information was gathered from this website.

Look what happens when a President gets elected in a year with a "0" at the end.

1840: William Henry Harrison (died in office)
1860: Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)
1880: James A. Garfield (assassinated)
1900: William McKinley (assassinated)
1920: Warren G. Harding (died in office)
1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt (died in office)
1960: John F. Kennedy (assassinated)
1980: Ronald Reagan (survived assassination attempt)
2000: George W. Bush ????????????

And to think that we had two guys fighting it out in the courts to be the one elected in 2000.

You might also be interested in this.
Have a history teacher explain this if they can.

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln" made by "Ford."
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

Think that's crazy? This is the just tip of the iceberg! There are over 100 more similarities between the two that you can find by clicking here.
______


My best theory is that this is all a glitch in the Matrix.

Video Ideas Needed

Many of you know that I love to make home videos. Well I've come accross a good website that will pay me for the videos I make. Based on how many views videos get, I get money. Some people have made over $25,000 on thier videos.

After a bit of research, I've come to realize that the videos that get the most views are short and they are interesting or cool rather than funny or silly.

Take a look at some of the videos that have recieved the most money so far and then give me some ideas. What kind of short cool/interesting videos can I make to make my millions?

• This video alone has made more than $25,000 for having almost a perfect rating and over 5 million views!
• This guy just shows you how to make a paper bird. He's made over $3000 on it.
• Browse through this guys videos, every one of them is unique and has made $1000's of dollars. Apparantly he's figured out the trade that I want to learn.
• One more. This guy has made a ton of money on cool little videos as well.
  

Okay, so you've seen them. Notice that none of them are silly or funny. They all show something interesting that people would enjoy watching but they're short. So what've you got for me? Any ideas?

Be sure to leave a comment with your suggestions!

I Had Lunch with a Terrorist

There was a terrorist today at In-N-Out Burger. No he didn’t have bombs strapped to his chest and threaten to kill everyone in 10 blocks if his hamburger wasn’t delivered to Cuba in the next 10 hours, but he did incite terror in all the customers.

As I was waiting in line to order my food, a man came marching up to the front counter, cell-phone pressed to his ear and demanded to see a manager. “I need to see a manager NOW!” he yelled as the entire restaurant looked to see what was going on. “I want 911 called! This SOB just threatened me!” The girl taking my order just stared at him, dumbfounded and terrified. “This can’t wait! I was peacefully eating my meal and this SOB threatened me and harassed me to get out of my seat! I want 911 called!” And then to the man in question: “You’re going to JAIL you SOB!”

By this time the restaurant was in silent shock. This all took place right next to me. I was calmly trying to ignore the lunatic and order my meal. The girl taking the order was shaking as she tried unsuccessfully to press the right buttons. The ranting man continued to scream at the top of his lungs, use explicatives, and point fingers at the accused man who, by the way, never said a word or tried to defend himself. As a matter of fact, the accused man just stared at him the entire time with a look on his face that said “You’re loony!”

Finally, as I was filling my cup with soda, the onlookers started yelling back at the lunatic. “Take it outside!” “We don’t want to hear it!” “Leave the guy alone!” “Get out of here!” And so on.

As I started looking for a table to sit at, about six random men from different tables stood and approached the raving madman. They had decided to control the situation since no one else was doing it. They surrounded him and forced him outside. The raving man was suddenly scared when approached by these men. Suddenly he wasn’t the aggressor that he had made himself out to be. As all terrorists are, this man was truly a coward. As the mob took the man outside, the restaurant cheered.

In the end, the man accused had merely asked if the other man was finished eating and if he could take his table. The reports of the onlookers said that he was very polite and was never threatening.

Honestly, it was quite an amazing sight… but perhaps not for the reasons you’re thinking of. I thought it was amazing that when the time called for action, six random people stepped up to bat. These men were not in a group together. Some were there with their wives and children, some were there alone. But when they felt threatened, they answered the call to duty. These men were of the same caliber that saved and unknown number of lives by bringing down flight 93 on September 11, 2001.

Sadly, I was not among them. Upon reflection I realized that I stood there while other men took out the terrorist. Had I been on flight 93, would I have sat there in my seat while a group of men brought the plane down? I should have been among those six. They should have been seven.

What would you have done? What would you like to think you would have done? Are you a homeland protector a la flight 93? Or are you one who would look the other way and fill your soda cup?

Donner's Cut

I finally had the opportunity to see Richard Donner's version of Superman II (it was just released last November). If you even remotely liked the old Christopher Reeve Superman movies. You'll want to see this cut. Read on, let me explain why:

The background
Superman The Movie and Superman II were mostly filmed as one movie. Richard Donner directed them. When they were 70% done with filming part two, they ran out of budget and they focused on releasing part I instead. After Superman the Movie faired so well, Richard Donner was fired (another story in and of itself). They hired Richard Lester in his place. Lester went on to change huge parts of the script and reshot MOST of donners scenes. The version of Superman II that we all know was Lester's version.

And What's Changed???
Warner Brothers has finally catered to what Superman fans have been screaming for for years. They took all of Donner's old footage (remember he originally filmed 70% of the film) and even shot a couple of new scenes, added some great special effects and worked the pacing of the film.

The End Result
A pheonominal movie! I was excited to see this cut but I had no idea it would be this good. I can whole-heartedly say that this version of Superman II is worlds better than the original. The pacing of the film is what struck me the most. Donner took the Zod story line and spliced it in with the Clark/Lois story line to make it look like it all happened at the same time. It made the movie move much faster and somehow it was more exciting than I was used to with the original. There was also a lot less camp. Lester tried to make funny and silly stuff happen throughout the movie. Donner's version removes all of that. The end result was a much more serious movie, a somewhat darker Lex Luthor and an overall more enjoyable movie.

Anything Surprising?
I was shocked at how much NEW footage there was! Donner really did film a LOT of this movie before the carpet was pulled out from under him. Many of the scenes are the ones that we're used to, but they're different angles, different takes, even different sets. But then there's completely differnet story lines as well. For example, in Donner's version Lois figures out Clark's secret in the first couple of minutes of the film. And there's a GREAT new scene with Lois trying to prove that she knows it's true!

Cons
There are a few plot holes, but they are minor things so I won't go into them. The only other con was that there were a few scenes that were added that were taken from screen tests and auditions. It's plainly obvious. There's even a scene in which Clark's glasses suddenly change size and shape.

The Last Word
Though it's overall the same stroy, it felt like watching an entirely new movie. It was great. You really should get this movie and watch it. In my mind, the Donner Cut is now the official Superman II. I doubt if I'll ever watch Lester's version again.

Trust me. Click here to buy it.

Predictions of the Future - Part 2

My favorite element of the science-fiction world is time travel, so I am intrigued by things of the future. Here are a few more things that we'll either have soon, or SHOULD have soon.

1. Cars that drive themselves - I heard recently that this is already being done somewhere in Europe. Special cars driving on special freeways can navigate themselves. Because they are computerized, cars can travel at high speeds only feet apart, bumper to bumper. If the car in front suddenly needs to stop, the computer knows about it and all the other cars (even miles behind) will slow as well. Pretty neat stuff.
2. Robots - We've all seen movies or episodes of the Twilight Zone which depict robots as servants. I've seen History and Discovery channel documentaries about robotics and their development. The technology is getting there. Soon we'll all have our own Bicentennial Man in our living room!
3. Sun-blocking Windshields - Okay this is something I've been thinking about for 12 years now (ever since I started driving). I want to see a window that is "tinted" only where the sun is. This, of course, means that the spot would move depending on where you are in the car. Basically it's a movable tinted 3-inch dot on your windshield and somehow it follows your gaze. Even the person in the driver's seat would see this tinted spot in a different place than you as the driver would see it. Is this making any sense at all?
4. Matrix-like Information Download - Very cool concept. Just insert the data and you suddenly have the knowledge. Is this truly in our future? Is it even a plausible invention?
5. Thumb-Scan Money AND Registering - We've all seen people pay for things on futuristic movies by scanning their thumb print. Well when are we going to actually make that a reality? Gone would be the days of check cards. But I'd want more than than. See, I keep my check register to the penny. I'd want the thumb-scan payment method to be instantaneous. The money is literally transfered at that exact moment. That way I don't have to jot down every purchase I make.
   

Well, that's all for today, but we'll see what the future holds... there may be more in store!

As always, feel free to leave comments.

Books Vs. Movies

This is my first attempt at what is known as a “blog response.” A bit long, but an interesting debate. My brother posted a blog about why movie versions of books are no good. Here are my responses to what he had to say: (Aaron’s words in normal print, my words in bold)

“I downloaded The Positronic Man, an audiobook by Isaac Asimov… Beware though, like with many books, don't bother with the movie. You may know the movie version of the book by the name of Bicentennial Man.

“OK, I know this is the part where someone -- most likely Jason -- is revolting. "But it's such a good movie!" And perhaps it is… I know that no movie can really do a book justice. After all, a book is too long to fit into movie format and all, but can't they at least try? It's one thing to cute a scene or two, or modify a little dialog to help brush over parts that weren't wholly conducive to the story, but to completely change the story, that's another matter."

This is where you’re wrong. As you’ve mentioned, by definition a feature length movie is the telling of a short story. There simply isn’t time in a movie to “do a book justice.” A TV mini series, on the other hand, is the novel format of a visual adaptation.

Recently I just created a new film. We took about an hour filming it and a couple more hours editing it. It ended up being 17 minutes long. That’s 1/8 of an entire feature film. Can you imagine how hard it would be to tell the story of an ENTIRE novel in only 2 hours or less? So can’t they at least try? No. They really can’t.

"Pulling the plug, or assisted suicide is a violation of the Fist Law of Robotics (as was pointed out in the beginning of the movie). No robot may allow a human to come to harm through an action of their own, or through inaction. That means, that a robot can not assist in suicide. In fact, a robot couldn't even stand by and allow a human assist in suicide."

But we’re talking about evolved robots here. In the movie version, these robots have become more human and less susceptible to the “laws.”

"This is why you have to stay true to the book. The book had it right. It's like lieing. Once you tell a lie, you have to tell another to cover up the first lie, then another and another. Once you deviate from the book, you have to deviate further and further to maintain cohesion, but then, you're no longer telling the story of the book. Now if they just admitted that this is not the book, they could go a lot further, but when they try to stay true to the book, but deviate as the same time (lie to the audience), then you create lies upon lies, and inconsistencies start to develop."

No, no, no. They never professed this to be the movie version of the book. If anything they said “BASED on a story by Isaac Asmov.” It was just a few of the ideas that some writer liked and then wrote his own version. How did the book have “it” right? What is “it”? YOUR conceptions of what the movie should have been?

You know, some movies just don’t translate well to film. Perhaps this was one of them and the writer knew it. He then added in his own elements to the story that he felt would gather a wider audience. Remember, in the end it’s about money and not so much about “staying true.”

I read the Da Vinci Code. Great book. I then saw the movie. Mediocre movie. But it had nothing to do with whether or not it stayed true to the book. In my opinion it was for that very reason that the movie wasn’t that great: the director tried too hard to stay true to the book… and that made it boring. It just wasn’t a story that was interesting enough for the big screen.

I’ve said this to people countless times: you CANNOT compare a movie to a book. They are different forms of entertainment. I LOVE to read and I LOVE movies but I never compare the two because, as Aaron was, I may just be disappointed. Why allow that? Why not just enjoy the movie for what it is and the book for what it is? Why do they have to be the same? I’d personally rather have more variety.

The Time Machine was a great book. The 2004 movie was a great movie. They basically had NOTHING in common but who cares? They were both good.

I agree with Aaron on one point: you WILL be disappointed if you compare a movie to its book version. So don’t do it. Do you LIKE being disappointed? Just enjoy both for what they are.

Please feel free to post a comment.

Predictions of the Future - Part 1

We have so many technologies in our day that it’s easy to see what is to come. You’d think they’d have this stuff out there already.

Either way, I have compiled a list of things that I am looking forward to in the future!

1. Video phones – with cell-phones having video capabilities already, why can’t we just talk to each other via video rather than merely sound?
2. Cloaking technology – I just saw an article in Popular Mechanics about turning things invisible. Very cool stuff. It’s amazing that we’re that far already.
3. Larger virtual storage – Just 10 years ago or so it was unheard of to have 20 megabytes of storage space on your computer. “What are you going to do with all that space?” people would ask. Well, with the way things are going, I’m sure my cell-phone will soon hold 10 petabytes.
4. Brain Phones – Cell phones get smaller and thinner every year. Bluetooth allows you to wear your cell phone on your ear. Soon those will get smaller and smaller until all people have to wear is something the size of an earring. From there it will become an invisible (see number 2) ear implant. You’ll be able to dial and answer based on a series of voice commands. Then eventually it’ll just be controlled by thought. (Which brings up a good point: people always say that aliens are telepathic. On the contrary, I think they’ve merely mastered the cell-phone technology)
5. Brain Wave Alarm Clocks – There’s nothing worse than your alarm clock going off in the morning. You’re dead tired and you wish you could sleep longer. I want to see an alarm clock that taps into your specific brain waves and literally wakes you up. You suddenly arise at the specified hour, not because you heard some blaring noise, but because your body suddenly feels rested and awake. I’d pay some serious money for something like that.
   

For fear of writing too much, I’ll stop there… but there’s more where that came from. Be on the lookout for part two of this series!

As always, feel free to leave comments.

P.s. Wanna see some really cool futuristic gadgets that really DO exist? Check this out!